With the coronavirus stats going in the right direction, all of us at C&G Newspapers look forward to resuming publication of the St. Clair Shores Sentinel and Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle on May 27th. All other C&G newspapers will begin publishing on June 10th (Advertiser-Times on June 24th). In the meantime, continue to find local news on our website and look for us on Facebook and Twitter.

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With the coronavirus stats going in the right direction, all of us at C&G Newspapers look forward to resuming publication of the St. Clair Shores Sentinel and Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle on May 27th. All other C&G newspapers will begin publishing on June 10th (Advertiser-Times on June 24th). In the meantime, continue to find local news on our website and look for us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Michigan Secretary of State’s Office will be bringing its mobile office trailer to Eastpointe and Roseville May 20 and 21, respectively.

Photo provided by the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office

SOS mobile office to visit Eastpointe and Roseville

EASTPOINTE/ROSEVILLE — Those who hate waiting in line at Secretary of State branch offices are in luck; the department’s mobile office will be dropping by both Eastpointe and Roseville and offering all its services with few or no lines.

The mobile office, located in a specially made trailer, will be at Eastpointe City Hall, 23200 Gratiot Ave., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, May 20, and at Roseville City Hall, 29777 Gratiot Ave., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 21.

“The mobile branch office is a Secretary of State office on wheels and has been a great resource for the office for many years,” said Michael Doyle, communications manager with the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office. “The wait for service at the mobile office is typically minimal, so we encourage residents to take advantage of the mobile office. We see it as an extension of our online services at www.expresssos.com.”

Officials from both cities said this is a good opportunity for residents and a way to remove much of the frustration that often comes with renewing and processing documents.

“We had it here two years ago, and it’s a wonderful program,” said Joseph Merucci, administrative and management supervisor for Eastpointe. “We worked out hotel information and all the details so they could cover both communities. I used it myself. It took me less than five minutes to renew my license. The service was great. There’s no wait — maybe one person in line in front of you — and you can do almost anything you can do at a regular Secretary of State office.”

Doyle added that it creates opportunities for people with mobility issues to use Secretary of State services.

“The mobile branch office allows us to provide services in areas we don’t have a branch office,” he said. “We can schedule it to be on-site for events like trade shows or community events. It offers us flexibility to set up in any community and can provide most of the services offered at a normal branch office.”

There are a variety of tasks that can be completed at the mobile office.

“Folks can renew their license plate tabs and licenses, they can register to vote, change their address, sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry, do title transactions, and they can learn about the Real ID transfer, which is coming up next year when you’ll need a Real ID-compliant license to fly domestically. That does take either a certified birth certificate or a valid, unexpired U.S. passport.”

Roseville City Manager Scott Adkins said that several Secretary of State branch offices have closed in recent years, and this mobile office is an effective way to ensure that all communities still have access to the resources offered at those branches.

“We know over the past several years they have consolidated several Secretary of State branch offices, so there are fewer than before, and getting to one can be a bit of a hike,” Adkins said. “People with mobility issues can even have a more difficult time getting to the locations, and not everyone is proficient enough with technology to take care of these things online, so it’s a nice opportunity to bring these services directly to people.”

Officials from both communities agree it is a useful and efficient service.

“We think it is a great opportunity for residents. … It’s close, convenient and it lets you take care of these issues while you are right in the city,” said Adkins. “Anytime we can utilize outreach services to benefit our residents is something we want to take. Things like voting registration or change of address are issues people can take advantage of at the mobile office. They’re also available to answer questions, which can be trickier to get answered if you have to go to a branch location or calling them.”

“If you don’t want to waste two hours at the Secretary of State office, come to Eastpointe and get it done in just a few minutes,” added Merucci. “I couldn’t believe how useful and helpful this program is.”